Yemen's exiled leader calls off peace talks with rebels

The United Nations estimates that Yemen's conflict has killed more than 4,500 people since March [Reuters]

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has backed out of the planned UN-brokered talks with Houthi rebels, his office has said.

In a statement released on Sunday, Hadi said that there would be no talks with the Houthis until they accept a UN resolution that obliged them to withdraw from areas they seized and surrender weapons taken from state institutions.

The peace negotiations were scheduled for later this week as more than five months of war have ravaged the impoverished country.